After months of speculation, Gonzaga University has accepted an invitation to join the Pac-12 athletic conference. 

The Spokane-based Jesuit school's athletic teams will join the conference effective July 1, 2026, with all of its sports teams competing in the conference starting in the 2026-27 academic year.

Gonzaga is the eighth university to join the Pac-12 as the conference remakes itself after 10 schools left to join other conferences last year. 

In a press release announcing the shift from the West Coast Conference, Gonzaga President Thayne McCulloh says, "Following discussions with Pac-12 member presidents, I believe membership will represent an opportunity to participate in building a conference that imagines new, forward-thinking ways to support student-athletes in a rapidly changing collegiate sports landscape."

He adds that he's looking forward to opportunities to partner with other institutions in the conference that can offer Gonzaga students, faculty, and staff multi-institutional collaboration.

Gonzaga's inclusion in the conference follows the recent addition of Boise State University, Colorado State University, San Diego State University, Utah State University, and California State University, Fresno to the Pac-12, which has as its foundational members Washington State University and Oregon State University.